• The term basal ganglia is used to designate the areas of basal

forebrain and midbrain known to be involved in the control of

movement
• The striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen – a part of the lentiform – and
nucleus accumbens).
• The pallidum (globus pallidus – a part of the lentiform), which is comprised of
a lateral segment and a medial segment. The medial segment has a midbrain
extension known as the reticular part (pars reticulata) of the substantia
nigra.
• The subthalamic nucleus. The pigmented, compact part (pars compacta) of
substantia nigra.
• A−D) Four coronal sections of
the brain, viewed from behind.
Ventral parts are enlarged below.
Acc., nucleus accumbens; AC,
anterior commissure; Am.,
amygdala; C, caudate nucleus; G,
globus pallidus; P, putamen; T,
thalamus.
BASIC CIRCUITS
• It is possible to demonstrate at least four circuits which commence in
the cerebral cortex, traverse the basal ganglia, and return to the
cortex. The four comprise:
• 1 A motor loop, concerned with learned movements;
• 2 A cognitive loop, concerned with motor intentions;
• 3 A limbic loop, concerned with emotional aspects of movement;
• 4 An oculomotor loop, concerned with voluntary saccades.
Activities in the striatal motor loops, prior to • The SMA (supplementary motor area) is
movement. activated through the ‘direct’ pathway as
follows.
• (1) Corticostriate fibers from the
sensorimotor cortex activate those GABAergic
spiny neurons in striatum having D1 receptors
tonically facilitated by nigrostriatal inputs.
• (2) The activated striatal neurons inhibit
medial pallidal (GPM) neurons
• (3) with consequent disinhibition of ventral
lateral nucleus (VLN) thalamocortical neurons
• (4) and activation of SMA
• (5), which both modifies ongoing
corticostriate activity and initiates impulse
trains along corticospinal (CST) and
corticoreticular (CRST) fibers.
• Activity along the ‘indirect’ pathway is
relatively slight because of tonic
dopaminergic inhibition of the relevant
striatal neurons via D2 receptors. However,
the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is tonically
activated by corticosubthalamic fibers,
curtailing the inhibition of GPM. GPL, lateral
segment of globus pallidus; SNpc, compact
part of substantia nigra.
 Coronal section through the motor loop,
• The red/pink neurons are
excitatory utilizing glutamate.
The black/gray neurons are
inhibitory utilizing -
aminobutyric acid. The
brown, nigrostriatal neuron
utilizes dopamine which is
excitatory via D1 receptors on
target striatal neurons and
inhibitory via D2 receptors on
the same and other striatal
neurons. CST/CRST,
corticospinal, corticoreticular
fibers; GPL, GPM, lateral
and medial segments of
globus pallidus; SMA,
supplementary motor area;
SNpc, compact part of
substantia nigra; STN,
subthalamic nucleus; VLN,
ventral lateral nucleus of
(A) The sequence of five sets of neurons involved in the
thalamus.
‘direct’ pathway from sensorimotor cortex to thalamus with (B) The sequence of seven sets of neurons
final return to sensorimotor cortex via SMA. involved in the ‘indirect’ pathway.